Collaborating for the Common Good

“Only when diverse perspectives are included, respected, and valued can we start to get a full picture of the world.” – Brene Brown

Hopefully you’re sensing a theme or two in the way we talk about the future of Community Commons: the vulnerability, the innovation, the vision, and the collaboration. As we noted in our last post, the Commons was formed out of a burst of collaborative energy among like-minded organizations looking to power community change at a new level. That said, it’s only fitting that as we think about how to evolve the platform of Community Commons, we also consider how we can better collaborate with organizations committed to bringing diverse perspectives to this community change work.

One of those organizations we have added to our cadre of core partners is the software developers, BroadStreet. The BroadStreet team is committed to bringing information together for the common good to benefit all. Their vision for community change truly lives into the mission of the Commons and we gain a more robust picture of how collective impact can be leveraged.

As a core partner of Community Commons, the BroadStreet team is helping to re-envision and completely redevelop the Commons to become a more dynamic platform to empower those working on community change. Together, we have created a community-centric platform where changemakers:

Access the data, maps, and tools that they need to assess and improve their community

Share stories, local successes, and lessons learned

Connect organizations from around the nation to share successes and align strategies to accomplish big goals

Have a social forum for input, interaction, and empowerment that is central to the Community Commons vision

This means CommunityCommons.org will be more than just a website for those wishing to improve their communities and build new data tools. It will be a platform that can be built upon (think plugins and integrations), a place of shared resources with carefully curated collections and user generated content, and a place for connecting. And for the technologically savvy, our new data API will allow users to build tools using Community Commons data that is easily shared and hosted on your own website. And, in the spirit of fostering an open, collaborative environment, the new Community Commons platform is built using modern, open-source technologies. The goal is to build an interactive dynamic platform to support community changemakers in a truly unique way.

On December 31, 2018, the site as you currently see it will close and will reopen as a brand new, exciting site on January 7, 2019. As we begin to display the years of brainstorming, development, and collaboration, keep in mind that it won’t be perfect. We’re in the fledgling stages but will remain committed to working with you to build something that is truly invaluable to your daily work. Got questions? Check out our FAQs or shoot us a message at info@communitycommons.org

P.S. Register now to attend one of our sneak peak webinars to preview the new Commons, followed by an interactive question and answer session with our team.